F LORA & FAUNA
BASKET OR LATTICE STINKHORN
Clathrus ruber
A strange mushroom that may occasionally appear in yards, it is often considered the smelliest of all stinkhorns. You can usually locate it by following its strong rotting-meat odor. Stinkhorns appear in unusual shapes and colors and are typically found in wood chips. The outer basketlike fruiting body can reach eight inches high, and inside the base is a spore-bearing slime. The odor attracts flies and other insects that eat or carry the spores to new locations, helping the fungus spread.
LUNA MOTH
Actias luna
A true winged beauty, it relies on native trees such as sweetgum for larval food sources. Once caterpillars reach three inches, they spin cocoons within leaf litter at the base of the host plant or inside a leaf. The adult moth emerges large and striking, though rarely seen. Adults have no mouthparts, so they don’ t visit flowers, and like most moths, they fly at night. With only one week to live, their sole focus is finding a mate.
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